Americans live in homes of all types. More and more people are enjoying the benefits of living in houseboats. The 2000 census found some 200,000 houseboats located in the United States. Because of the anticipated increase in population it is expected that more and more people will live in houseboats. Sometimes these will be their primary home, and other times these will be used as a second home for recreation and relaxation.
The increasing demand for floating structures, such as houseboats, leaves buyers wanting for more. Features usually included in land based homes are becoming desirable in houseboats. So, for instance, toilets, showers, sinks, dishwashers, clothes dryers, clothes washers, coffee makers, and trash compactors are a few of the amenities that people want in their houseboats.
One problem with today's houseboats is that they do not provide an easy means for handling the unwanted items of people in the home or the accessories that are part of the houseboat. Fecal waste and urine, for instance, are often collected in a separate container and vacuumed or siphoned off from that container when a boat reaches dock. The waste container serves no other purpose and takes up valuable space in the boat's design. Another problem is that construction of the floats for floating structures, a houseboat for example, is limited by size or shape if done as one piece construction.
There is a need in the industry for an apparatus that is easily incorporated into a houseboat design, is multifunctional, and uses space that is already reserved for another purpose. A further need is for the ability to construct floats that are not limited by size, such as by length or by shape.